The decubitus ulcer: many questions but few definitive answers.

Decubitus ulcers appear to be associated with insidious trauma. Differential diagnosis can be tricky, and etiology is controversial with sustained localized pressure which plays a significant role. Sustained pressure can stretch soft tissues and blood vessels, causing multiple microthrombi around the point of maximum compression.

The treatment of acne vulgaris with low dosage doxycycline.

Doxycycline hyclate 20 mg bid is an effective maintenance dosage in patients with inflammatory acne. Twelve subjects aged 14 to 36, both men and women, completed a 16-week study to demonstrate the effectiveness of submicrobial dosing of doxycycline hyclate. Seventeen subjects were screened, and three withdrew before receiving any medication.

The assessment of acne: an evaluation of grading and lesion counting in the measurement of acne.

The basic morphology of acne--comedones, papules, pustules, and nodules--and the extent of involvement do not permit simple evaluation due to the number of variables involved. Because these acne lesions may vary in number during the natural course of the disease, various measurements have been developed, based on clinical examination and photographic documentation. These range from global assessments to lesion counting, with the latter providing more objective data.

Traumatic purpuric penile ulcer.

A 33-year-old man presented with a history of a penile ulcer of four days' duration. He was immediately treated with 2.4 million IU of benzathine penicillin IM and tested for syphilis, but subsequently proved non-reactive.

Controversies about the decubitus ulcer.

Knowledge of the decubitus ulcer has made great progress in recent decades. No longer is the diagnosis of a bedsore, as it was in the iron lung days, almost a death warrant. One cannot cause to heal a patient who is in organ failure, nor can one necessarily prevent ulcers in a new spinal cord-injured patient.

Dermatologic manifestations of complementary therapy.

The dermatologic manifestations of complementary therapy include reactions to herbs used orally and topically for treating skin disease, cutaneous reactions to drugs used orally and topically for treating other diseases, and reactions to alternative interventions. The safety of alternative medicine is in question. Unlike approved drugs, the quality, efficacy, and safety of herbal medicines is not regulated.

Cutaneous reactions to antibacterial agents.

Antibacterial agents may cause a variety of untoward reactions. Some range from transient, mild erythema to toxic epidermal necrolysis, often resulting in disability and death. Both in vivo and in vitro tests are becoming useful for the diagnosis of the causative agent in drug eruptions.

Does complementary medicine work?

Complementary medicine is anecdotally-based medicine, not supported by scientific fact. Furthermore in many instances the safety of its agents has not been ascertained.